DATE: 26 September 2025
TIME: 13:00–15:00 CET
From Resolution to Convention: Uniting for the Rights of Older Persons
The UN International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP), celebrated annually on October 1st, is an occasion to highlight the participation of older persons in society and raise awareness of the human rights-based approach required for ageing in today’s world. The official commemoration of UNIDOP 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland takes place at a significant moment in the global effort to advance the human rights of older persons. On 3 April 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution establishing an intergovernmental working group mandated to elaborate a legally binding international instrument on the human rights of older persons. This development follows over a decade of intergovernmental discussions and sustained advocacy by civil society and UN actors. The 2025 UNIDOP will highlight the rationale for a legally binding instrument and the roles and responsibilities of each actor in supporting the process to a Convention that reflects the realities of older persons across the world today and generations to come.
Objectives
Recognizing the significant milestone of resolution 58/13, UNIDOP 2025 provides an opportunity to reflect on the specific roles that governments, UN bodies, civil society organizations, and national human rights institutions can play in supporting the work of the new intergovernmental group. By promoting coordinated efforts, the Day will contribute to a meaningful engagement by all actors at local, national, regional, and global levels. At its core, the commemoration will reaffirm the status of older persons as human rights holders and active agents in society, while supporting a continuous intergenerational dialogue for a deeper understanding of ageing as a shared human experience.
Key Messages
The adoption of HRC/RES/58/13 marked the beginning of a formal process and sustained engagement will be essential to ensure that a robust and inclusive text is achieved. Governments, the United Nations system, civil society, and national human rights institutions each have distinct yet complementary responsibilities in this endeavor. Actions are needed at every level—from grassroots mobilization to multilateral negotiations—reinforcing one another. Securing the human rights of older persons today builds a fair and inclusive future for all generations.
UNIDOP 2025 will mark a shift from awareness to shared responsibility in the advancement of older persons’ rights. The Human Rights Council resolution has opened a formal path toward a convention, and the actions taken in the coming months and years will shape its content and impact. Recognizing the contributions of all stakeholders, particularly older persons, and encouraging active engagement in the drafting process will be essential to ensure that the future convention is inclusive, representative, and enforceable.
UNIDOP 2025 offers a timely space to reaffirm the value of participation, complementarity, and shared vision in building a society where human rights do not diminish with age.